Propeller manipulating and work stand

ABSTRACT

A manipulating and work stand, for handling a propeller with a mandrel shaft, which includes a base and a pair of spaced apart support members, one of the support members being upright and fixed at its bottom to the base and the other support member being pivotally connected to the base for rotation toward and away from the upright support member. Receptacles are mounted at the tops of both of the support members for receiving the ends of the mandrel shaft. The receptacle at the top of the fixed upright support member may be a tubular bearing which is closed at one end, and the receptacle mounted at the top of the pivotal support member may be a saddle which is open on one side and which is pivotally connected to the top of the pivotal support member. A drive means may be connected between the base and the pivotal support member for driving this support member upwardly so that the saddle will receive one end of the mandrel shaft. In this manner, the mandrel shaft through the propeller may be lowered vertically so that the closed receptacle receives one end of the shaft and then pivoted so that the saddle receives the other end of the shaft.

United States Patent [191 Wilger et al.

[451 Aug. 20, 1974 PROPELLER MANIPULATING AND WORK STAND [75] Inventors: John F. Wilger; Clifford Y. C. Lai,

both of Honolulu; Gregory S. Nakano, Pearl City, all of Hawaii [73] Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC.

22 Filed: Nov. 12,1973

21 Appl. No.: 415,204

52 U.S.Cl 269/296, 248/166, 269/321W 51 lnt.Cl ..B23q 7/00 Field of Search 29/200 J, 200 P, 156.8 P; 248/13, 150, 166; 269/17, 47, 55, 296, 297,

Primary ExaminerRoy Lake Assistant Examiner-Mark S. Bicks Attorney, Agent, or FirmRichard S. Sciascia; Ervin F. Johnston [57] ABSTRACT A manipulating and work stand, for handling a propeller with a mandrel shaft, which includes a base and a pair of spaced apart support members, one of the support members being upright and fixed at its bottom to the base and the other support member being pivotally connected to the base for rotation toward and away from the upright support member. Receptacles are mounted at the tops of both of the support members for receiving the ends of the mandrel shaft. The receptacle at the top of the fixed upright support member may be a tubular bearing which is closed at one end, and the receptacle mounted at the top of the pivotal support member may be a saddle which is open on one side and which is pivotally connected to the top of the pivotal support member. A drive means may be connected between the base and the pivotal support member for driving this support member upwardly so that the saddle will receive one end of the mandrel shaft. In this manner, the mandrel shaft through the propeller may be lowered vertically so that the closed receptacle receives one end of the shaft and then pivoted so that the saddle receives the other end of the shaft.

9 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PROPELLER MANIPULATING AND WORK STAND STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In order to repair and balance large propellers (2 tons to 20 tons) they are normally brought into a shop on a trailer in a horizontal position and unloaded on a work pallet. The top sides of the blades are then worked on and necessary build-up is accomplished by welding and brazing. To build up the underside of the propeller, the propeller must be turned over 180. Since most shops have a single overhead crane this turning process cannot be performed in the shop, but must be performed in an outside area. In the past these propellers have been loaded back on the trailer and moved outside where two large cranes are utilized to turn the propeller over. This job normally requires two crane operators, four riggers and one trailer operator. The propeller is loaded back on the trailer and taken back into the shop for the welding and brazing build-up of the underside of the blades. Each propeller repair normally requires three turns in order to complete the work. After the blades have been built up to the proper thickness the propeller is again sent out of the shop in order to be turned to a vertical position so that it can be installed ona balancing machine. These movements in and outside of the shop area have required a considerable amount of time and have required many additional man hours of work. The most desirable arrangement would be for the propeller to be turned to its various sides within the shop area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a manipulating and work stand for handling a propeller within a shop area which has an overhead crane. Thisstand enables the propeller to be turned 180 from one side to the other and ultimately positioned vertically for balancing without the necessity of removing the propeller from the shop area and without the necessity of utilizing more than one crane. During the working function all propellers are provided with a mandrel shaft which enables moving and positioning of the propeller for build up of the blades and finally balancing of the propeller. The manipulating and work stand for handling this mandrel shaft and the propeller connected thereto may include a base, and a pair of spaced-apart support members. One of the support members is fixed at its bottom end to the base in a generally upright position, and the other support member is pivotally mounted to the base. The upright support carries a pivoted closed ended-tubular receptacle means for receiving one end of the mandrel shaft and the pivotal support member carries a saddle type receptacle means for receiving the other end of the mandrel shaft. In this manner, the mandrel shaft may be positioned vertically by the overhead crane for dropping one end of the shaft into the tubular receptacle means, and then the tubular receptacle means may be pivoted downwardly so that the other end of the mandrel shaft may be received within the saddle type receptacle means.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned problems associated with prior art methods of handling large propellers.

Another object is to provide a manipulating and work stand for handling a large propeller (2 tons to 20 tons) with a mandrel shaft within a shop area which has an overhead crane.

A further object is to provide a low-cost and reliable manipulating and work stand for efficiently turning a large propeller (2 tons to 20 tons) by the use of a single crane.

Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. DE- SCRIPI'ION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a manipulating and work stand holding a mandrel shaft which in turn supports a propeller (shown in phantom).

FIGS. 2 through 11 illustrate the various steps in turning a large propeller on the manipulating and work stand.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like or similar parts throughout the several views there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a mandrel shaft 6 which is inserted through a large propeller 8 (2 tons to 20 tons) for handling the propeller during its repair in a shop area. The manipulating and stand 10 includes a base 12 which may be composed of various channel iron and plate members. A generally upright support, which may be a post 14, is fixedly mounted at its bottom end to the base by any suitable means such as a flange and bolts 16. The post 14 may be laterally supported by plates 18 which are rigidly connected to both the post and the base member 12.

A receptacle means, such as a tubular bearing 20, is provided for receiving one end of the mandrel shaft 6. This tubular bearing is closed at one end by any suitable means such as circular plate 22, and is pivotally mounted to the top of the post 14 for rotation in a vertical plane which passes through the post. The means for pivotally mounting the bearing 20 to the top of the post 14 may be bearings 24 which are fixed to the top of the post 14 and which receive large shafts 26, one of which is shown in FIG. 1. The tops of the bearings 24 may be constructed for break-away action by removing bolts 28 when it is desired to remove the bearing 20. It should be noted that the closed end 22 of the bearing 20 enables the mandrel shaft to be lowered vertically into the bearing 20 and supported thereby between the vertical and horizontal positions as illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

A support, such as an A-frame 30, is pivotally connected at the bottom of its legs 31 to the base 12 for rotation in the vertical plane toward and away from the post 14. The means for pivotally mounting the bottom ends of the A-frame legs to the base may include pairs of spaced apart plates '32 which receive shafts 34 which extend through both plates as well as the legs of the A- frame.

A receptacle means, such as a saddle 36, may be pivotally mounted to the top of the A-frame 30 for receiving the other end of the mandrel shaft 6. As illustrated in FIG. I, the saddle 36 may be open on one side and have a conforming bearing surface at 38 for snugly receiving the mandrel shaft. The means for pivotally connecting the saddle 36 to the top of the A-frame may include a pair of bearings 40 which receive a pair of large shafts 42, one of which is illustrated in FIG. 1, which are inturn connected to the saddle 36 in diametrically opposed directions. The bearings 40 may have a top portion which may be broken away by removing bolts 44 so that the saddle 36 may be removed as desired.

In order to actuate the pivotal motion of the A-frame 30 an elongated drive means, such as telescoping tubes 46 and 47, may be pivotally connected at one end to the base 12 and may be pivotally connected at the other end to the A-frame at a cross member 48. The bottom end of the telescoping tube 47 may have a fitting 50 for receiving fluid pressure, such as air, for expanding and retracting the telescoping members. The bottom end of the telescoping member 47 may be pivotally connected to the base 12 by spaced apart upright plates 52 which receive diametrically opposed shafts 54, one of which is illustrated in FIG. 1. The upper end of the telescoping member 46 may be pivotally connected to the cross plate 48 by a pair of spaced-apart plates 56 which inturn receive diametrically opposed shafts 58, one of which is illustrated in FIG. 1. The post 14 and the legs 46 and 47 of the A-frame 30 may be tubular so as to provide the necessary strength and yet be light in weight for handling large propellers.

OPERATION OF THE INVENTION The operation of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 2 through II. The propeller 8 is normally brought into a shop area on a trailer bed 59 and is lifted free, as illustrated in FIG. 2, by cables 60 from an overhead crane (not shown). As illustrated in FIG. 3, the overhead crane positions the propeller Son a work stand 62 which inturn is positioned over a pit 64. The pit 64 contains the mandrel 6 which is lifted into position by the crane and secured to the propeller by locking plates (not shown). After the mandrel 6 has been secured to the propeller 8 the bearing 20 on the work stand 10 is rotated to an upright position, as illustrated in FIG. 4, for receiving one end of the mandrel shaft 6. The closed end 22, see FIG. 1, keeps the mandrel shaft 6 and the propeller 8 secure in position as the other end of the mandrel shaft is lowered by the crane, as illustrated in FIG. 5. In both of the steps illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the A-frame 30 and saddle 36 are in a retracted position so as to be clear of the swing of the blades of the propeller 8.

When the mandrel shaft 6 is in a horizontal position to the telescoping members 46 and 47 are expanded by fluid pressure through the fitting 50 so as to rotate the A-frame 30 toward the propeller so that the saddle 36 will receive the other end of the mandrel shaft. It

- should be noted that the pivotal action of the saddle 36 in combination with the pivotal action of the A-frame 30 enables a smooth and efficient receipt of the other end of the mandrel shaft 6.

In the position of FIG. 6 the crane cable 60 is connected to both ends of the mandrel shaft 6 and the A- frame 30 is retracted so that the propeller 8 can be brought clear, as illustrated in FIG. 7. Once clear, the propeller 8 is rotated 180, as illustrated in FIG. 8. The ends of the mandrel shaft 6 are then brought into receipt with the bearing 20 and the saddle 36, as illustrated in FIG. 9. The line 60 is then connected to the right end of the propeller 8, and after retracting A- frame 30 the propeller is raised until the mandrel shaft 6 is in a vertical position, as illustrated in FIG. 10. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the lines 60 are then attached to the propeller itself, so that the propeller can be lifted from the manipulating and work stand and placed on the work stand 62 for build up of the opposite side of the propeller blades.

After the opposite side of the propeller blades have been built up, the propeller is normally balanced on a balancing machine (not shown) with the mandrel shaft 6 in a horizontal position. This can be accomplished by following the steps illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 7, after which the propeller can be placed on the balancing machine.

It is now readily apparent that the present invention provides a very unique and yet simple manipulating and work stand for handling a large propeller in conjunction with an overhead crane. If desired the work may be performed directly on the stand or may be removed to other stand sites within the shop area.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

We claim:

30 l. A manipulating and work stand for handling a propeller with a mandrel shaft comprising:

a base;

a generally upright support fixedly mounted at its bottom end to said base;

first receptacle means for receiving one end of the mandrel shaft;

means pivotally mounting the first receptacle means to the top of the fixed support for rotation in a vertical plane through said fixed support;

another support having top and bottom ends;

means pivotally mounting the bottom end of the other support to the base for rotation of the other support within said vertical plane;

second receptacle means for receiving the other end of the mandrel shaft; and

means mounting the second receptacle means to the top of the pivotal support means;

whereby one end of the mandrel shaft of the propeller may be vertically inserted in the first receptacle means and then rotated in the vertical plane for mating engagement of the other end of the mandrel shaft with the second receptacle means.

2. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 1 including:

the first receptacle means being a tubular bearing which is closed at one end.

3. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 2 including:

the second receptacle means being a saddle which is open on one side for receiving the mandrel shaft.

4. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 3 including: 65 the means mounting the saddle to the top of the pivotal support means being a pivot. 5. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 4 including:

an elongated, drive means pivoted at one end to the open on one side for receiving the mandrel shaft.

base and at the other end to the pivotal support means for rotating the pivotal support means so 8. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim that the saddle will receive the mandrel shaft. 7 including: 6. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 5 the means mounting the saddle to the top of the piv- 1 including: otal support means being a pivot.

an elongated drive means pivoted at one end to the 9. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim base and at the other end to the pivotal support 8 including: means for rotating the pivotal support means so the fixed upright support being a post; that the saddle will receive the mandrel shaft. 0 the pivotal support being an A-frame with the bottom 7. A manipulating and work stand as claimedin claim of the legs of the frame being pivotally connected 6 including: to the base; and

the first receptacle means being a tubular bearing the drive means being telescoping tubes which are which is closed at one end; actuated by fluid.

the second receptacle means being a saddle which is 

1. A manipulating and work stand for handling a propeller with a mandrel shaft comprising: a base; a generally upright support fixedly mounted at its bottom end to said base; first receptacle means for receiving one end of the mandrel shaft; means pivotally mounting the first receptacle means to the top of the fixed support for rotation in a vertical plane through said fixed support; another support having top and bottom ends; means pivotally mounting the bottom end of the other support to the base for rotation of the other support within said vertical plane; second receptacle means for receiving the other end of the mandrel shaft; and means mounting the second receptacle means to the top of the pivotal support means; whereby one end of the mandrel shaft of the propeller may be vertically inserted in the first receptacle means and then rotated in the vertical plane for mating engagement of the other end of the mandrel shaft with the second receptacle means.
 2. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 1 including: the first receptacle means being a tubular bearing which is closed at one end.
 3. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 2 including: the second receptacle means being a saddle which is open on one side for receiving the mandrel shaft.
 4. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 3 including: the means mounting the saddle to the top of the pivotal support means being a pivot.
 5. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 4 including: an elongated drive means pivoted at one end to the base and at the other end to the pivotal support means for rotating the pivotal support means so that the saddle will receive the mandrel shaft.
 6. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 1 including: an elongated drive means pivoted at one end to the base and at the other end to the pivotal support means for rotating the pivotal support means so that the saddle will receive the mandrel shaft.
 7. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 6 including: the first receptacle means being a tubular bearing which is closed at one end; the second receptacle means being a saddle which is open on one side for receiving the mandrel shaft.
 8. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 7 including: the means mounting the saddle to the top of the pivotal support means being a pivot.
 9. A manipulating and work stand as claimed in claim 8 including: the fixed upright support being a post; the pivotal support being an A-frame with the bottom of the legs of the frame Being pivotally connected to the base; and the drive means being telescoping tubes which are actuated by fluid. 